


one little room an everywhere

by secondaudrina (firstaudrina)



Category: Gossip Girl (TV 2007)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-18
Updated: 2011-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22354327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstaudrina/pseuds/secondaudrina
Summary: It always ends the same.
Relationships: Dan/Serena.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	one little room an everywhere

_the end_

Flatly, Dan says, "You're in love with him."

They're sitting on the end of their bed. The walls of their room are blue, a color Serena debated for days because she wanted it to look like the ocean and not the sky. Dan didn't understand the difference. They painted together, both in ratty old t-shirts of Dan's, only Serena wouldn't stop flicking paint at him and he tackled her in revenge and then…well. The uneven way the paint dried is still evident, lighter and darker in places. _I like it_ , she said, _gives the place character_.

Serena hems and haws and says finally, "Yes."

Or, no –

Flatly, Serena says, "You're in love with her."

They're sitting on the end of their bed. His end table is stacked with books and hers with nail polish; they have a dog bed in one corner but the dog has rejected it, preferring Dan's armchair; they keep no family photos. The walls are blue and Dan said they were the color of Serena's eyes, in his goofy way, in one of those rare cheesy moments he'll have when they're alone. He gets so soft and fumbling when they're alone, still sixteen.

Dan hems and haws and says finally, "Yes."

It doesn't really matter how it happens.

_the middle_

There are snowflakes pinned to the walls and fans blowing confetti snow, white blankets and projections of snowy trees. The room is full of a soft blue light that somehow makes it feel colder than it is. The first time – the not-first time – the room had been so warm, flickers of candles and the close heat of bed sheets.

 _Do you like it?_ Serena giggles, and it's because she's actually nervous. _You don't think it's cheesy?_ She's in a carefully careless sprawl but the second he sits next to her tension creeps up her spine, butterflies in her throat.

(She keeps the notebook paper story for a long time, longer than she should. It spends the latter half of its life hidden in a drawer disguised as scrap. For a while, though, for a while she kept it in her purse, switching it from the back pocket of one to the back pocket of another. She just liked knowing it was there.)

The room in a little too quiet. Every time Dan bumps into her he apologizes and Serena laughs, tells him to stop worrying and start kissing. She sees the snow over his shoulder when it starts to come down for real and her grin is bright because, for once, something was just…perfect.

She's not spinning, she's got both feet on the ground.

_the start_

He doesn't know her name is Serena, yet.

It's a week until the first day of high school and his entire class-to-be is here; Dan is coming from public school in Brooklyn and he hasn't grasped the class difference yet. Dan will find out her name eventually and, when he does, he'll think that it couldn't have been more appropriate.

Dan is leaning against the wall nursing an empty cup (he's too nervous to drink, half-convinced one beer will turn him into one of those cautionary tales) and constantly brushing his hair out of his eyes when Serena stumbles into him.

He doesn't know her name is Serena; he just knows that she's stunning and she's drunk and she's the only person to look his way twice.

 _Hiiiii_ , she says brightly, one hand latching onto the lapel of his jacket as she tips precariously on her heels. _Hi are you having fun?_ Without waiting for an answer, she hooks a finger over the rim of his cup, tilting it down to see how much is left. _This cup is empty Mike that sucks._

My name is Dan, he tries, voice loud over the music. Dan Humphrey?

She shakes her head. _I'm not hungry but here I'll get you a drink._

As soon as she lets go of him, fingers tight on the empty red cup, she stumbles on ungainly legs and almost falls. He catches her arm, steadies her. Are you okay?

 _My hero_ , she exclaims, smacking a lip gloss kiss to his cheek before wavering away, not looking back. Needless to say, she doesn't bring him a drink.

He never will find out if she actually remembers it.


End file.
